Conveyer-chain with flights.



w. AUSTIN CONVEYER CHAIN WITH FLIGHTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 8{I9I6.

' Patented June 27, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE. I

WILLIAM AUSTIN, 0F PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB. TO MICHAEL W. OBOYLE,

0F PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONVEYER-CHAIN WITH FLIGHTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

Original application fi1ed. June 18, 1915, Serial No. 34,909. Divided and this application filed February 8-,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM AUsTIN, re-. siding at Pittston, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyer-Chains with Flights, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved chain especially designed and adapted for use as a driving chain in conveyers and the like, and the invention primarily has for its object to provide a chain whose links, pins and flights are so correlated that the use of rivets or bolts is made unnecessary and the chain links, pins and flights can be readily assembled or separated without the use of tools.

The invention also includes those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described, then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a conveyer chain illustrating the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the part shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the chain fixtures or flights to which the conveyed members (not shown) are attached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of chain for use on chains for an outside drive.

In the drawing, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 1 represents the links all of which are of the same construction, and include a central brace portion 2 and longitudinal openings 3 at each side thereof, the openings 3 terminating in the reduced ends 4: which are of semi-circular form to form bearing surfaces for the' bearing portions 6 of the pivot pins. Each link is also provided at each end and on each side with shoulders 5 against which the flat faces 9 of the separating plates or collars 7 of the pivot pins are designed to engage to hold the pivot pins in non-rotative relation to either of the outer or the inner links of a group, according to the position of adjustment of the pivot pin. Each pivot pin consists of a central spacing plate or collar 8, intermediate spacing plates 7 or col- Serial No. 77,033.

lars and a pair of outer spacing plates or heads 7, the plates 7 and 8 being of disk like form, except at one side where they are cut straight as at 9 and 10 respectively. The purpose of providing the flat faces 9 and 10 is to enable the pin to engage the shoulders 5 of either the outer or inner pair of links, according to the position of adqustment of the pin, and thus provide an immovable, engagement between the plates 7 and 8 and the said pair of links. This is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, by reference to which it will be observed that in the attachment there shown the pins have the outer and intermediate plates 7 in engagement with the shoulder portions 5 of the outer links 1 and the rounded sides of the intermediate and central plates 7 and 8 in engagement with the shoulders 5 of the inner links 1. Thus, the pivot pins have no movement relative to the outer links but form the fulcrums or pivots around which the inner links have movement.

In practice, assume that the square sides of the pin heads and collars 7 are against the lugs on the outside links, the pins in this position have movement as an integral part of the outside links and consequently cause no wear whatever on these links, the wear being then entirely on the inside links which have an oscillating movement on the pins. After the chain has been in use a sufficient length of time, with the pins in this position, to cause the inside links to be worn out of pitch say one-fourth of an inch of lost motion, by simply turning the pins around through a half circle the Worn links will then be engaged by the squared sides of the pin heads and collars and the pins will have become, as it were, an integral part of the inner links and the oscillation or wearing movement will take place at the outer links which have turned on the pins as pivots, the chain being restored to its original pitch and the other set of unworn links will then be used until the chain is worn out. It will also be noticed, that the collars or plates 7 and 8 serve ass pacers to prevent the links from chafing together. Then the chain is to be used as the pivoting links with an outside drive the pins are provided with extensions 11 which serve as bearings.

The chain is also preferably provided with a fixture by means of which the chain carried parts can be attached. This fixture consists essentially of a base plate 12 having a web 13 to fit between a pair of inner links and provided with. lugs 14; that pro ject into the openings 3 of the links and are themselves spaced apart as at 15 to straddle the portions 2 of the links. lVhen the fix ture is to be used to receive the bar of a twin line for a bag or package elevator, the base 12 is provided With an eye 16. Of course, it is obvious that in lieu of the eye 16 any other well known device may be pro vided to suit the particular work met with in practice, and as the detailed formation of the portion 16 of the fixture forms no part, per se, of the present invention, illustration of these modifications is not thought to be necessary.

It is also to be noted that the slots 3 are designed to provide for the insertion of the pins, while the reduced portions 1 receive the bearing portions 6 of the pins, thus the parts can be assembled readily without the use of any tools and no separate means are necessary to hold the pins and the links in correlated position.

In this application, which is a divisional part of my application filed June 18, 1915, Serial No. 34,909, I make no claim to the chain link and pin construction per 36, as that is a general application and forms the subject-matter of my application hereinbefore referred to.

From the foregoing description taken in connection With the accompanying drawing, it is thought the complete construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Vhat I claim is:

1. A chain composed of sets of inner and outer links having slots, pivot pins connecting said links, and a fixture comprising a base, a web insertible between the inner links, lugs designed to project into the link slots, said links having means preventing longitudinal movement of said fixture.

2. In a conveyer, a chain composed of inner and outer pairs of links pin-connected together, each link including slots separated by a central vertical web; and a flight including a base to set over an inner pair of links and having a web inserted between the links and lugs designed to project into the link slots and straddle the link webs, substantially as shown and described.

3. A conveyer chain composed of links arranged in pairs spaced apart, each of said links having a pair of slots separated by a cross bar; and a fixture including a base to set over said pair of links and having lug portions to project between the pair of links and into the respective slots of the same, to straddle the cross bars substantially as shown and described.

W ILLIAM AUSTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Waahington, I). 4 

